翱翔在首都藍天的女機長

呂品璋

“很多人問我，作為一名警察飛行員有什么不同？我認為沒什么不同，如每一位首都警察一樣，始終守護著這座城、這些人，只不過有的民警在地面，有的在空中而已?！边@是首都警航女機長張明經常掛在嘴邊的一句話。

初見張明，一身飛行服搭配齊肩短發，干練利落，說話間透露著沉穩。自2013年加入北京市公安局警務航空總隊飛行大隊，11年間，張明從一名飛行學員，逐步成長為能執飛多種機型的女機長。截至目前，張明已安全飛行1000余小時。因表現優秀，張明榮獲個人三等功1次，個人嘉獎3次。

出發：內勤民警逆襲考入警航總隊

2011年研究生畢業后，社會學碩士張明放棄了繼續深造的機會，毅然選擇從警，成為北京市公安局西城分局國家大劇院派出所的一名民警。

作為派出所里風風火火，直來直去的大嗓門“內勤”，每天按部就班，波瀾不驚。在一個偶然的機會，張明得知北京市公安局警務航空總隊正在招收“零基礎”飛行員?！拔蚁胩魬鹱约?，接觸不同領域的工作！”回憶起當初的決定，張明依然印象深刻。

但是回家和父母一商量，卻碰了一鼻子灰，父母覺得飛行員太辛苦！但張明有自己的想法?！吧杏辛诵碌奶魬?，我要去戰勝它，我覺得我能通過，我想去試試?！币环妓骱?，張明決定報名。

報名沒多久，她就收到了體檢通知。第一項是測視力。“飛行員對視力要求很高，不合格的直接就淘汰走人?！本o接著，又經過兩輪體檢和兩輪綜合能力測試、一輪心理能力測驗和最終的面試?？粗磉呉粋€個滿懷期待的戰友遺憾離開，張明忽然意識到，自己正一步步接近的，是多少人都求之不得的夢想。

2013年2月，張明接到警航總隊正式通知，自己成功入選。但是據她回憶，興奮之余卻伴隨著擔憂：面對一個完全陌生、充滿挑戰的工作領域，不知道自己能否勝任。

蛻變：從零基礎到“空中尖兵”

每一位飛行員，最初都是從幾千名候選人中“脫穎而出”的，張明也是如此，但這次入圍，卻只是“成為飛行員”的小小一步。

想要“上天”，張明還要經歷四個月的地面理論學習和軍事體能訓練，以及九個月的駕駛技術學習。“任何一個環節沒能通過，可能都得‘打道回府?！睆埫骰貞浾f。

同期的其他學員有理工科出身的，有公安院校畢業的。只有張明，文科生，體能基礎一般，歲數還最大。這一切都讓“零基礎”的張明，不得不付出比同期學員更多的努力。

一次次加練，練到小腹爆出了腹肌，練到四肢布滿瘀傷；十幾門工科領域課程一本一本地“啃”；駕駛技術動作幾千次幾萬次地重復，直至把所有動作生生“磨”成肌肉記憶……

曾經白白凈凈的張明變得又黑又瘦，暈得直吐時也偷偷抹過眼淚，可她沒有認輸，一直咬牙堅持著。憑著這股不放棄的勁頭，張明順利通過層層考核，正式進入警航總隊，從一個“零起點”的女警成長為女飛行員。

成為警航飛行員后，日常訓練的強度，卻顯得不那么“日?！?。僅僅一個“懸停起落航線訓練”，就讓最初的張明練到“懷疑人生”?！帮w行軌跡要呈規定標準的下滑線，下滑軌跡要與地面呈規定的夾角，‘摳這些細節有意義嗎？”張明心存疑惑。

但通過海量的訓練和實戰，最終讓她明白，細節對于警航飛行員的意義。在搜索營救、醫療救護飛行中，每快一秒達到懸停要求，就為傷員多搶出一秒化險為夷的生機；在消防滅火飛行演練中，要科學設計取水點與火點之間的往返航線，同時根據氣象、火勢、地形，準確控制載水量。

最終，張明通過了全國警航飛行教員理論考核，踏上了從徒弟到師父的晉級之路。她用事實證明，女飛行員一樣可以成為值得信任和托付的“空中尖兵”。

翱翔：勇擔重任守護平安北京

2023年8月，受臺風“杜蘇芮”影響，北京出現強降雨天氣，房山、門頭溝等區陸續出現暴雨山洪災害，陸路交通受阻，極需馳援。

8月2日，張明接到任務，駕駛直升機前往房山區雙柳樹村投放救援物資。

張明清晰地記得，連續多日的暴雨已停，天空中卻仍然陰云密布，水汽蒸騰。這種能見度并不適宜執行飛行任務，但是，洪水沖了橋、斷了路，受災百姓焦急地等待著直升機為他們提供救援幫助。

從昌平基地起飛，沿著六環一路向南，云層不斷壓低，霧氣加重。突然，在白茫茫的霧氣中，一條黑漆漆的斜線愈發清晰，竟是一條高壓線！“前方有障礙物，通知僚機減速！”由于調整及時，飛機最終在高壓線前緩緩懸停了下來。

高壓線距張明這一側更近，為了便于觀察，駕駛任務就交給另一位飛行員，張明則緊盯著高壓線，給駕駛員指引位置?！案咭稽c……再高一點……停，可以了?！痹趶埫鞯闹笓]下，駕駛員一點點拉高飛機，如爬行般緩慢前進。機艙內所有人都捏了一把汗。螺旋槳打著云層，電線桿頂端的鐵釘近在眼前，直升機就在這縫隙間穿行而過，安全了！

到達雙柳樹村后，張明駕駛直升機不斷尋找被困群眾，然后投下救援物資?！按遄永镞呺娋€桿比較多，我們當時直升機就貼著電線桿，稍有不慎，就有可能撞上去?！睆埫髡f道。物資投放結束后，張明和機組駕駛飛機安全返回基地。

“當時群眾受了災，陸路不通，作為飛行員，我們必須去。但在當時那種天氣起飛，作為飛行員，大家都知道意味著什么?！闭勂疬@次任務，張明語氣中透出堅定。

從2013年加入警務航空總隊，像這種有危險的飛行任務，張明不是第一次經歷，多年的飛行歷練，讓她顯得更加從容和沉穩，飛行技術也更加精湛。對于未來，她有一個目標：“飛得更快、飛得更好、飛得更精準?！?/p>

曾有人問張明，作為飛行員，你覺得首都的天空什么時候最美？她這樣回答：“在空中灑水消滅山火之后，在幫助傷員飛出災區之時，在受困群眾眼含熱淚之間，在成功完成空中安保任務歸航的路上……首都的天空，最美！”

（責任編輯：張敏嬌）

She Pilots Police Planes

By Lv Pinzhang

"I've been asked many times how it's different being a police pilot. But I don't think there's any difference. I'm just the same as any other member of the police force in Beijing， we're all safeguarding this great city. It's just that some members perform their duties on the ground while the others are high up in the sky." Zhang Ming， a female captain of Beijing's police aviation force， often says this.

Zhang has shoulder-length hair and wears a neat uniform. She is decisive and resolute. She joined the pilot squad under the Police Aviation Unit of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2013， and the 11 years since have seen her grow from a fresh pilot trainee to a seasoned female captain. She can operate various aircraft， and has flown for more than 1，000 hours to date. Zhang has been honored with four medals of merit.

From Office Work to Police Aviation

After graduating as a postgraduate in sociology in 2011， Zhang gave up a career in academia and joined? the police station for China National Center for the Performing Arts， affiliated to the Xicheng Branch of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Energetic and straightforward with a loud voice， Zhang did her routine office work diligently every day. One day， she learned the Police Aviation Unit of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau was recruiting fresh pilots. "I wanted to challenge myself and start a new role in a different field，" she recalls.

Her thought， however， was not echoed by her parents， who believed being a pilot would be too tiring. Zhang mulled it over and resolved to sign up despite her parents' disagreement. "I was going to conquer the new challenge lying ahead in my life， and I was sure that I could make it. I was to give it a shot，" she says.

Not long after she signed up， Zhang received a notice to undertake the first test： vision screening. "Perfect eyesight is a must for a pilot， so failing this test will rule you out，" Zhang says. After a second health check， two general ability tests， one mental ability test， and a final interview， Zhang saw other candidates fail and leave though they were as keen on the job as she was. It flashed on her that she was moving closer to her dream， enviable to many.

In February 2013， Zhang was notified by the Police Aviation Unit that she was admitted. The exciting news was a source of worry for her： Am I competent in this new， challenging work.

From Fresh Trainee to Top Pilot

Every police pilot is a standout from thousands of candidates， and Zhang is no different. However， passing the selection process is only a small step forward to becoming a licensed pilot.

Zhang had to go through four months of theoretical studies， military physical training， and nine months of flying drills. "Failing in any step means an end to my dream，" she recalls.

Her batch mates in the training class either had educational backgrounds in science and engineering， or graduated from public security colleges. However， Zhang majored in social science. Moreover， the oldest one in the class， she has the most room for improvement in physical endurance. All these mean she had to work harder to be a qualified pilot.

She spent more time in physical training every day， enduring bruises all over to improve her muscular strength. She buried herself in a dozen subjects in science and engineering， and repeatedly practised standard flight maneuvers until they became part of her long-term muscle memory.

Long intensive exercises outside gradually tanned her skin and made her thin. The exercise would make her sick and reduce her to tears. This did not deter Zhang. Instead， she grew more tough and determined. With an unyielding spirit， she passed all her exams and was admitted to the Police Aviation Unit， a testimony to her growth from a police officer to a qualified police pilot.

After joining the police pilot force， she found that their ordinary training was not ordinary at all. The "helicopter traffic pattern drills" alone drove her to distraction. "The flight path must follow a standard glide line， and the glide path must form a specified angle with the ground surface. Does it make any sense to focus too much on these details？" Zhang had a lingering doubt.

However， hours of intensive training and practical operations brought her to a full understanding of what details mean to a police pilot. For instance， during search-and-rescue missions， being just one second faster to get the aircraft into the required hovering position will increase the chance of survival for the wounded. In aerial firefighting drills， the route between the nearby water source and the fire location should be designed scientifically， and the load of water should be controlled accurately depending on weather， fire severity， and terrain.

Undeterred， Zhang finally passed her theory exam and became a certified national police aviation instructor. Zhang's journey shows that women pilots are the same as any others， and are worthy of trust. They can also become "top guns" .

Flying High to Safeguard Beijing

In August 2023， Typhoon Doksuri unleashed torrential rains on Beijing， triggering devastating flash floods and mudslides in Fangshan， Mentougou， and other districts. Roads were cut off， and people were desperate for aid.

On August 2， Zhang was tasked with a mission to deliver relief supplies by helicopter to the isolated Shuangliushu Village in Fangshan.

She still has vivid memories of that day. Even though days of heavy rains had ceased， the skies were still dark and threatening with a dense fog shrouding the entire village. The poor visibility posed serious challenges for flying， but Zhang still risked her life to reach flood victims isolated by collapsed bridges and blocked roads. They were in urgent need of necessities.

Zhang and her crew took off from the Changping， flying southwards along Beijing's Sixth Ring Road Expressway. As they headed forward， the dark clouds sank lower and the fog grew thicker. All of a sudden， a vague black line emerged amid a vast expanse of whiteness – a high-voltage cable. "Obstacle ahead， tell the wingman to reduce speed，" Zhang said calmly. Thanks to her timely adjustment， the helicopter slowed to a hover just in front of the looming cable.

With the cable on her side， Zhang handed piloting duties to the co-pilot while she closely monitored the situation and provided guidance. "Higher...a bit more...stop， hold position." Following her prompts， the co-pilot gently pulled up the helicopter as if they were crawling forward. Everyone in the cabin was sweating due to the tension. With the spinning rotors churning the clouds， the helicopter barely avoided hitting the top of the cable pole and finally passed through a narrow passage to safety.

After reaching the village， Zhang and her crew searched for the trapped villagers and dropped relief supplies. "Telegraph poles were everywhere around the village， and our low-flying helicopter was very close to these poles. Any mistake could mean a deadly crash，" Zhang says. However， Zhang and her crew managed to fly their aircraft back to the base safely after accomplishing their rescue mission.

"With the residents stranded and roads destroyed， we police pilots are obliged to help. But everyone was aware of the potential danger，" Zhang spoke of the mission， firmly yet evenly.

That was not the first time that Zhang had performed such a dangerous mission since she joined the Police Aviation Unit in 2013. Years of flying experience have sharpened her pilot skills and equipped her to handle the helicopter in a composed manner. She has set a goal for her future： "To fly faster， better， and more precisely."

Once asked what was her most beautiful memory of the sky in Beijing， she replied： "It's when we managed to extinguish wildfires from the air， when we succeeded in transferring the wounded out of affected areas， when we saw grateful tears brimming in the eyes of rescued people， and when we were on the way back from air policing missions."

（Translated by Zhang Yanzhou）